This is a list of people pardoned by George W. Bush. Bush, a Republican, served as the
43rd president of the United States
The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States ...
from 2001 to 2009.
Constitutional authority
The pardon powers of the president are outlined in
Article Two of the United States Constitution
Article Two of the United States Constitution establishes the executive branch of the federal government, which carries out and enforces federal laws. Article Two vests the power of the executive branch in the office of the president of the Unite ...
(Section 2, Clause 1), which provides:
Definitions
* A ''pardon'' is an executive order granting clemency for a conviction, it may be granted "at any point after the...commission" of the crime. As per Justice Department regulations, convicted persons may only apply five or more years after their sentence has been completed.
However, the president's power to pardon is not restricted by any temporal constraints except that the crime must have been committed. Its practical effect is the restoration of civil rights and statutory disabilities (i.e., firearm rights, occupational licensing) associated with a past criminal conviction.
In rarer cases, such as the
pardon of Richard Nixon
Proclamation 4311 was a Presidential proclamation (United States), presidential proclamation issued by president of the United States Gerald Ford on September 8, 1974, granting a full and unconditional pardon to Richard Nixon, his predecessor, ...
, a pardon can also halt criminal proceedings and prevent an indictment.
* A ''commutation'' is the mitigation of the sentence of someone currently serving a sentence for a crime pursuant to a conviction, without vacating the conviction itself.
List of people pardoned or granted clemency by the president of the United States
A list of people pardoned or granted clemency by the president of the United States, ordered by date of pardon or commutation, is available here:
.
Pardons issued by George W. Bush
December 20, 2002
November 5, 2003
February 14, 2004
May 20, 2004
July 6, 2004
November 17, 2004
December 21, 2004
March 3, 2005
June 8, 2005
September 28, 2005
December 20, 2005
April 18, 2006
August 16, 2006
Department of Justice Immediate Release
December 21, 2006
December 10, 2007
March 24, 2008
November 24, 2008
January 1, 2009
Commutations issued by George W. Bush
# Bobby Mac Berry, May 20, 2004 (Conspiracy to manufacture and possess with intent to manufacture marijuana, money laundering)
[USDOJ: Office of the Pardon Attorney - Commutations Granted by President Bush](_blank)
# Geraldine Gordon, May 20, 2004 (Conspiracy to distribute phencyclidine, distribution of phencyclidine)
# Phillip Anthony Emmert, December 21, 2006 (Conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine)
#
Lewis Libby
Irve Lewis "Scooter" Libby (born August 22, 1950) is an American lawyer and former chief of staff to Vice President Dick Cheney known for his high-profile indictment.
From 2001 to 2005, Libby held the offices of Assistant to the Vice Presiden ...
, July 2, 2007 in connect to the
Valerie Plame affair
The Plame affair (also known as the CIA leak scandal and Plamegate) was a political scandal that revolved around journalist Robert Novak's public identification of Valerie Plame as a covert Central Intelligence Agency officer in 2003.
In 2002, ...
(one count of obstruction of justice; two counts of perjury; and one count of making false statements to federal investigators)
# Michael Dwayne Short, December 10, 2007 (Aiding and abetting the distribution of cocaine base)
# Patricia Beckford, March 24, 2008 (Conspiracy and attempt to distribute in excess of 50 grams of crack cocaine)
#
John Forté
John Forté (born January 30, 1975) is an American recording artist and producer. He is primarily known for being a member of the musical duo Refugee Camp All-Stars, and his production work on the Fugees album '' The Score''. He has released f ...
, November 24, 2008 (possession with intent to distribute cocaine and conspiracy to distribute)
# James Russell Harris, November 24, 2008 (convicted in 1993 of cocaine conspiracy, money laundering and bribery)
# Reed Raymond Prior of Des Moines, Iowa, December 23, 2008 (possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute)
#
Ignacio Ramos
Ignacio Ramos is a former United States Border Patrol Agent, who was convicted of shooting an unarmed illegal alien and drug smuggler on the United States–Mexico border. He was convicted of causing serious bodily injury, assault with a deadly ...
, January 19, 2009 (2006 Shooting and wounding admitted and later convicted drug smuggler Osvaldo Aldrete Dávila and trying to cover up the incident)
#
Jose Compean, January 19, 2009 (2006 Shooting and wounding admitted and later convicted drug smuggler Osvaldo Aldrete Dávila and trying to cover up the incident)
[
]
Commutation issued by George W. Bush as Governor of Texas
* Henry Lee Lucas serial killer convicted of 11 homicidesBush Commutes Death Sentence
/ref>
See also
* Federal pardons in the United States
A federal pardon in the United States is the action of the President of the United States that completely sets aside the punishment for a federal crime. The authority to take such action is granted to the president by the U.S. Constitution. A pa ...
*
* List of people pardoned by George H. W. Bush
* List of people pardoned by Bill Clinton
The following is a list of people pardoned by Bill Clinton. As president, Clinton used his power under the U.S. Constitution to grant pardons and clemency to 456 people, thus commuting the sentences of those already convicted of a crime, and obvi ...
* List of people granted executive clemency by Barack Obama
By the end of his second and final term on January 20, 2017, United States President Barack Obama had exercised his constitutional power to grant the executive clemency—that is, "pardon, commutation of sentence, remission of fine or restitutio ...
References
Sources
United States Department of Justice, Office of the Pardon Attorney
Pardons Granted by President Bush
''The Washington Post
''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...
'', (December 24, 2005)
Hot Springs Woman Pardoned By President Bush
''Associated Press
The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. ne ...
'', (April 19, 2006)
Massachusetts man among eleven pardoned by Bush
'' Eyewitness News'', (April 19, 2006)
Washington: Bush Pardons 11
''New York Times'', (April 19, 2006)
''Associated Press'', (August 17, 2006
https://www.justice.gov/pardon/gwbush-pardons
''San_Francisco_Chronicle">Pardon_More_Than_the_Turkey
''San_Francisco_Chronicle
'',_(November_23,_2006)
President_Bush_Gives_Out_16_Pardons,_1_Commutation
''WCBS_(AM).html" ;"title="ttp://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2006/11/23/EDG6ELJ4AK1.DTL Pardon More Than the Turkey">https://www.justice.gov/pardon/gwbush-pardons
Pardon More Than the Turkey
''San Francisco Chronicle
'', (November 23, 2006)
President Bush Gives Out 16 Pardons, 1 Commutation
''WCBS (AM)">WCBS Newsradio 880'', (December 22, 2006)
Special:History/List of people pardoned by george w. bush
External links
"Constitutional Law of Pardons: Scope and Limits of President's Power"
by Samuel T. Morison.
by George Lardner, Jr., opinion in ''The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
'', February 4, 2008
"Begging Bush's pardon"
by Margaret Colgate Love, opinion in the ''Los Angeles Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the U ...
'', June 7, 2006
President's Statement Upon Libby Commutation
{{Federal pardons in the United States
Pardons
A pardon is a government decision to allow a person to be relieved of some or all of the legal consequences resulting from a criminal conviction. A pardon may be granted before or after conviction for the crime, depending on the laws of the j ...
+Bush, George W.
Pardons Bush
Pardoned by Bush W
Articles containing video clips
George W. Bush-related lists